Week 33

Cravings:

Cookies 'n' cream milkshakes (from Chick-fil-a). French fries. Fish. Those really yummy potatoes we make...

Aversions:
I think we're pretty much done with these.

Other symptoms:
Still tired. Have been since last Thursday. Heartburn. (Does this mean I can hope for a full head of red hair??) Little insomnia working too.

Things bugging me:
I could do without the tired, the insomnia, the heartburn. Oh, and the cat pissing on the rug.

Current weight: 162.8

Renovations:
Preston has laid most of the flooring between the guest room and the office. It was hard because that hall is on an angle, and one side butts up against an irregularly shaped stone fireplace, so it required lots of cutting.

Now we need to finish cleaning out the office so maybe we can put my parents to work this weekend!


Other stuff:
I got all my thank yous written from the shower last weekend, and a lot of the stuff put away = good.

Think I'm gonna downgrade to C25K Week 1 on Thursday. *le sigh*

Got out the recumbant to ride this morning, that went fine.

Went swimming last Friday after work (I only work half-a-day on Fridays). Oooo! My arms were sooooo sore afterwards!! I only did 1000 yards. I was super slow, but I didn't realize as I was going how sore I was gonna be after! I think I might make it a goal to go at least once a week til the end.

My non-work baby shower is this Saturday - it is mostly going to be family, but I'm looking forward to it!

Stand-off with a Pit Bull

On my morning "run", I had the single most scary thing I've ever seen or experienced in my 4 years of running in my neighborhood happen.

And that's saying something. I run at night. I run when I've seen a scary movie the night before. I've been chased by dogs before. I've been jumped on by dogs before. I've been swerved at by a car before. I've fallen.

But, omg, this morning was so far beyond any of that.

I had just turned onto my street, walking my cooldown. I was almost done! Several houses up I saw a 4-legged creature run across the road. I wasn't sure what sort of creature: cat, dog, coon... so as I approached the house I cautionarily glanced to my right to check on the status of the creature, when a pit bull rushes towards me, barking loudly.

I stop, turn, face it, throw up my right hand and yell, "No!". He stops, but continues to bark.

I slowly turn to my left and begin walking, watching the dog the whole time. He circles behind me, barking, and rushes me. I stop, turn, face the dog, throw up my hand and yell, "No!". He backs off a bit, barking.

I start edging towards my house, still waaaaaaay too far away, he circles around behind me again and charges again, I yell at him again. He circles and charges again. I yell again. He circles, charges, I yell. We do this inch by inch, working our way slowly down the street towards my house.

All the time, I'm trying to appear big, confident, and totally unafraid. But I'm freaking out. I mean, completely freaking.

One time, he was running and he came in for a charge and I actually hissed at him. It was totally instinctual, and I'm guessing because that is something we do to get our cats to not do things, but it seemed to freak him out and he moved a little farther away from me. He finally ended up running about 20 feet ahead of me and on my right as I moved down the street.

Which put him in my yard. Fuck.

I moved up the neighbor's driveway towards my front door, thinking that the most vulnerable I was going to be was when I was trying to get my key in the door.

I lost sight of him behind a bush, I BOOKED IT to my door, somehow the key was in my hand, went in, and I was inside.

And then I totally lost it.

Fucker was still running around the street when I left for work 30 minutes later.

I called Animal Control as soon as they opened at 9am. What the hell are you supposed to do in the middle of the night??? I seriously doubt he was still there!

Oh, and he was wearing a collar with tags.

Fucking dog owners. I love dogs. I have nothing against any breed of dog. It is the owners that fuck them up, let them run loose and threaten people. Those fuckers deserve to be hurt.

And, shit, dude... how do you make yourself go out for a run after that??

Baby Shower #1 (Work)

Well, the ladies at work threw me a shower on Tuesday.
The idea of a party *for* me is difficult for me. I'm just not comfortable being the center of attention. But I understand that it is an important thing, culturally, that everyone has a good time, and that I need to go along. With that said, I am glad there weren't any games, because I was exhausted at the end just from talking to people and opening presents!!
It was really fun, though, and really quite lovely. And The Kid made out like a bandit!!

Labor Dream

Last night I dreamt that she came out quickly, with no drugs or episiotomy. And they layed her on my belly and Preston took beautiful pictures.

And I have a vague recognition that it wasn't my doc who delivered her. Foreshadowing, perhaps?

Week 32

Cravings:

Cookies 'n' cream milkshakes (from Chick-fil-a). On Saturday night, I actually *cried* because I didn't have one. Seriously.

Aversions:
I don't care that it causes heartburn. Feed me!

Other symptoms:
I am really, really tired. Have been since last Thursday. Like can barely get out of bed in the morning tired. Preston left me home alone Saturday night and I was thirsty and still didn't get up to get myself water for over an hour (until I also had to pee, so the trip was worth it) tired. Tired! My friend, heartburn, is still with me, too.

Things bugging me:
Not really. I'm too tired to be bugged.

Current weight: 160.4

Renovations:
Got the carpet out of the hallway between guest and office. Moved all the tools from the nursery to the guest closet, because I just couldn't stand them in the nursery. Staged an impromptu reorganization/cleaning of the kitchen on Saturday, which has been a long time coming and was really rather productive. I've got a place for baby bottles/stuff now!


Other stuff:

Still doing C25K Week 2. I skipped last Friday because I was so tired, and when the alarm went off yesterday, I almost rolled over and went back to sleep. But I was glad I didn't: this tired thing doesn't seem to be going away, and running is still something I can really do for myself.

This morning I rode my bike on the trainer, as I've been doing at least once a week for the entire pregnancy, for what I fear may be the last time: my knees/thighs are attacking my belly!! Might be time to bust out the old recumbant...

My work baby shower is this afternoon!

iApps for Preggos - a Review

What to Expect

This app was probably my favorite in the beginning because it had a daily "What to Expect". That was most welcome when I didn't know anything at all, hadn't had time to read the books, and was adjusting to the concept of a baby inside me.

The app also features a weekly summary of what's going on with your body and your Kid's.

There is also access to community forums and a place to store photos, which I haven't really used.

Price: $FREE (definitely worth the price!)




Baby Bump

This is my favorite pregnancy app now. Like WTE, it features weekly info, and it can actually be fun to compare the weekly info among all the apps.

But the winning feature, IMHO, is the "Journal" where you can track your weight, waist, mood, cravings, etc.

It, too, has a kick counter, which I have used. It also has a contraction counter, which I'm sure will come in handy!

It's got sections for photos, a birth video, popular baby names, and community forums as well.

Price: $4.99

iPregnancy

I discovered this app later in my pregnancy, which may explain why it has never been my favorite, but I also find it less intuitive to use than the others. It claims to let you track your weight and things, but you have to do those as "doctor's appointments", not just as journal entries, and I've never even located the doctor's appointment section of the app!

No wonder there is a whole website (linked above) on how to use it!

What is cool about this app is the weekly info being divided among Mom, Dad, and Kid. Weekly info includes the survival rate if your baby was born that week, which is probably too negative for the other apps, but is really kind of cool to know, especially as you get towards the end. I mean, it'll really light a fire under my ass to know that I could have this Kid now, and she'd stand a better than 97% chance of survival. That really tells you how far she's come!

The other cool thing in this app is the ultrasound pics every week of a baby in that week.

But beyond that, I really wouldn't waste my money on this one. Too expensive, and to un-intuitively designed.

Price: $4.99.

Photo Sunday

31 weeks with nursery paint on my shorts and my anniversary present on my finger.

31 weeks front and slightly goofy.

31 weeks super goofy... I'm making this face because of the approximately 50 shots that P had to take in order to get one without my eyes closed or mouth contorted, etc.

Preggo Nose

So....

I've noticed that I smell different. At least, I think I do. I mean, I can smell *everything* right now. I've been able to smell *everything* pretty much since I got pregnant.

And I've noticed my smell shifting as I got more and more pregnant, but initially, at least, I thought I had the same scent, just stronger, more, not as cover-up-able.

But now... recently... in the past few weeks, I think my scent is shifting.

I don't know that I think of smells the way other other people do... so I don't know how much sense this description will make, but to me, my smell is... richer, sweeter, huskier, darker, thicker....

I don't know what that's all about. But I've been noticing it.

Week 31

Cravings:

*sigh* French fries, which give me heartburn. Cookies 'n' cream milkshakes (from Chick-fil-a), which make me fat.

Aversions:
Things that cause heartburn. Or make me fat. That unfortunately are all I want to eat.

Other symptoms:
Heartburn. Damn you, heartburn! And I'm tired. Oh, so tired! And feeling a little emotionally... unstable. Like I might start crying for no particular reason.

Things bugging me:
Heartburn. Complete lack of energy. I don't even have the energy to be seriously bugged any more.

Current weight: 159.8. I never thought I'd step on the scale and think, "Oh, good, still only 159.8 today." But I am .2 lbs from being up 30 lbs for this pregnancy, so I'll take my 159.8, thankyouverymuch.

Renovations:
Made good progress on cleaning out the office. Still have a ways to go, but we really accomplished a lot in a short, relatively painless time on Sunday. (And then have been useless thus far this week, which I hope to remedy when we get home from work tonight!) We need baseboards in the hall between nursery and guest, cleaning out of hallway between guest and office and ripping out of carpet and scraping of ceiling, and cleaning out of office. Those are the next steps...


Other stuff:

Still doing C25K Week 2. Goodness, it is hot. I haven't run in under 80 degrees in I don't know how long. And this is 80 degrees at 4am. Torture. Pure torture. I am so slow now. Walking would almost be faster, except I'm walking slower too. This morning on my last 2 intervals, I had a little tightening/cramping of the belly - Braxton-Hicks, perhaps? Calmed right down as soon as I got home, but wanted to make a note of it. Not sure how much longer I'll be running for, but at least I can still backwards graduate down another week before I have to stop completely!

The Girls

Boys, this might not be your favorite post, but I won't get too graphic.

So, I went bra shopping on Friday.

I hate bra shopping. Hate it. I always just know that I'm beet red the whole time. Nothing ever fits right and I'm always embarrassed to ask for help. I freaking hate it.

I knew this time going in that I was going to have to get over myself. Be brave. Pretend my little girl was with me (she was!) and set a good example for her. Boobs are normal for about 50% of the population. Needing something to contain the boobs is also normal. There is nothing to be scared of or embarrassed about.

So, I headed over to Victoria's Secret, promising myself some yummy PF Chang's if I could just get through the experience. I walked in, wandered around, feeling a little uncomfortable, until I found the style that I know I like. Then I wandered some more, plucked up my courage, and asked a salesgirl to measure me since I have NO CLUE what size I am. I mean, I didn't really know for sure before... now I REALLY didn't know!

She was nice. Took me into a corner. Measured me. 36D. D!!! 36-freaking-D!!!!!

I walked into that store wearing a 34 B. It was my "fat" bra. You know, from when my boobs were bigger when I was fatter. I've been wearing it since about my 3rd month. Before that, I was still happily ensconced in my A cup. A.

I have gained 3, count them, 3 cup sizes over the course of this pregnancy.

I could scarcely believe her. So I went back over to my little section, and I grabbed a 36C and a 36D, just in case she was over-estimating or something.

She wasn't.

I got into a dressing room and just ogled the cups on that D. No way my boobs would fit in there. There'd be a inch gap between the cloth and the boob! I mean, these things were GIGANTIC!!

Put the bra on. Fit like a freaking glove. Felt great, wonderful, supportive.

Wow. Just... wow.

Week 30 Pics

Guest room is done, moving in furniture!

And we got a new camera lens! 2 kitty pics.

The bump.

Freaky Preggo Dream

The other night I dreamt that we went to go see this colleague of mine (that let me have her old maternity clothes), who had her baby back in January, back when she was in the hospital just after having her baby. She didn't want to let anyone hold her kid, but she needed to go use the restroom, so she gave the baby to me, saying she knew I'd be careful and that I'd enjoy the practice. In the dream I was just as preggo as I am now. So I'm holding her kid, and I don't know what happened, but I'm dropping it. I grab the torso and manage to catch it before it hits the ground, but its head falls off! Like one of those old plastic dolls. And the head is laying on the floor, but it is still attached to the neck by the umbilical cord!! And her kid is still alive. So I bend over real quick, start shoving the cord back into the neck, and reattach the head. The whole thing seems really rickety, and is still looking like a broken plastic doll, not a kid, and I am totally freaking out that I broke her kid. And she comes out of the bathroom and takes her kid back from me, and seemingly doesn't notice anything. And then I woke up.

Preggo Leg Shaving

Sooo... the bigger I've gotten, the more difficult it has gotten to shave my legs. I can still manage to sit down in our (very tiny) shower, but getting up again is getting pretty iffy. And once I get down, my thighs are pretty crammed up against my belly, and then I don't have the maneuverability to reach all my angles.

Apparently this is a common problem. It came up in "Hot Mom's Guide", which I reviewed here, and actually that was the section that ticked me off so much: the author tells this story of this lady in a store offering her unsolicited advice on how to shave her legs in the 3rd trimester, tells us she tried it and it was brilliant, and then NEVER SAYS HOW TO DO IT. Bitch.

Anyways, here's how I decided to do it: Preston.

I'm not gonna lie: I was a little freaked out about this, but it was either that or not bothering for the next 2+ months.

But it was really lovely. He was so much gentler with me than I am. And he didn't cut me once, not even on my knees!! Actually, it could have been sexy if I wasn't so worried about accidentally slapping him upside the head with my giant belly...

Preston has just earned himself a new dad-to-be job! Yay, Preston! (Just one more thing in a long list of things that you guys don't see coming when you knock us up...) Love yoU!

Prepared Childbirth Class

e.g. "Prepared".

So, P and I got us at the ass-crack of dawn (ok, not really, but it sure felt like it for a Saturday!) to make it down to the Medical Center for the 9am start time of our class. We discovered that it takes 35 minutes minimum to get to the Hospital where I'll deliver, and that is if you are going 80 because you think you're late and there is ABSOLUTELY ZERO traffic. So, yeah, I'm sure that's gonna be super fun when I'm in labor.

Got there, signed in, grabbed a seat near the back, much to P's annoyance (Who would have thought P was a participator? Not me. I used to drag him to classes when I was at UT, but he just sat there, but he was actually raising his hand and speaking out - it was weird. And a little annoying, I'm not gonna lie. Especially when what he was speaking out about was how annoying preggo-me is.)

Anyways, we started with a "why your newborn will look funny" video. Then introductions, how far along everyone was, etc. Then pregnancy symptoms/advice. Then a break (well needd - about an hour is as much as I, and it seems most 3rd tri women, can do).

Then birth. What I gleaned from this section was how to time a contraction (start to finish, duh), how to time between contractions (start to start, not what I expected), and that when your contractions are 5 minutes apart and lasting at least 1 minute for at least an hour, that's when they want you to go to the hospital.

Then lunch and a hospital tour. Pretty pleased - my hospital only has private rooms - no weird roomie like P got when he had his VAD! Also, I'm allowed 3 "guests" during delivery.

Then a long discussion about medical interventions. Here is the point at which, and I can't believe I'm about to type this, I decided that I think I want to have a natural delivery. I'm not against the drugs, per se, and I won't be heartbroken if I end up taking them... but... I just think I should try to do without, you know, if I can. "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..." My reasons are thus: people have been doing this as long as there have been people, and they have only been doing it with drugs in the past few decades; potential side effects; chain of medical intervention; and the same reason I don't take anti-inflammatories BEFORE running, which is, how do you know when your body is going past its limit if you can't feel it? To each his own, but I think I'm going to give it a shot.

Finally, the day ended with breathing techniques and postpartum resources.

So, worth it? I'd say yes. I think even more worth it for P than for me, since I've been doing a lot of reading/research ever since I found out I was preggo. But even for me, I learned some stuff. So, yes, worth it. If we ever have a 2nd kid, though, not again!

Week 30

Cravings:

Everything I want gives me heartburn.

Aversions:
Things that cause heartburn. That unfortunately are all I want to eat.

Other symptoms:
Heartburn. Headache. Sciatica.

Things bugging me:
Heartburn.

Current weight: 157.6

Renovations:
Guest room is done!!!!!

Now on to cleaning out the office/scraping hall ceiling on way to office. But at least I'm really starting to feel the progress.


Other stuff:

Still doing C25K Week 2. Slowly, sweatily, hotly, but still doing it. (Damnit.) Watching for meteors as I go!

Am liking the 4/36+4. Think I'll probably stick with it.

Birth Date?

Preston and I were talking the other day, and for some reason, we both think The Kid is going to come early.

Probably partially because our calculations led us to a due date of October 6th.

And because I've been measuring about 2 weeks big ever since they started measuring me.

And because The Kid was measuring about 2 weeks big at the last ultrasound...

Well, I was just filling out the hospital's pre-registration paperwork (online), and I typed 10/08/2010 as the "date of procedure" without even thinking.

It'd be funny if...

Week 27, 28, 29 Pics

27 weeks front.
27 weeks side.
28 weeks.
29 weeks.

And, just for the record, my favorite preggo dinner (wheat tortilla, "fat" mayo, cheddar, provolone, swiss, ham, turkey, tomato, spinach, and sprouts):

Right now listening to Preston singing loudly while sealing guest/hall floors. Yay!!!

No Guest Room Yet...

I really really thought we were going to finish the guest room floors last night, but on the way home from work the call came in that the nursery chair was ready at BRU. So a trip to BRU ensued. That took OVER AN HOUR (ugh!), then grabbing dinner on the way home, and then, well, we didn't finish the guest room floors. In fact, I'm not even sure I looked at the guest room at all last night.

Will post pics of the chair later - it is much bigger than it looked in the store!! (But comfortable. I'm not displeased.)

So, tonight I'm hoping for the last row of floor to go in the guest closet, then clean the floors and lay down the first coat of sealant. Then head to Home Depot for baseboards, then the 2nd coat of sealant, then start installing the baseboards. I would love love love to have the furniture back in the guest room by the end of the weekend.

Of course, Saturday is a no-work day, because we'll be in (eep!) Childbirth class all day (eep!). Will also blog how that goes. I've gotta say... NOT looking forward to the video...

Lesson of the Day

I know that having a baby will "change my life", and Preston's. It'll change our whole perspective on everything. It needs to.

I feel like we need to start practicing/changing right now.

For example, let's say I'm going to take out the trash. I HATE taking out trash. I'm totally OCD about trash. And we're making a LOT of trash right now, what with the renovations and donations and all. You know, boxes that had baby clothes, boxes that had flooring, closet doors, baseboards, carpet, regular kitchen trash, catboxes, etc. And it is in the morning before work, and I'm running late, and it is hot outside, and I need to make like 8 trips to get all the crap to the curb. There are 2 ways I could handle this: I could get all upset, huffy, pissy, and bang around bitching and moaning about taking out the trash, or I could just get it done, quietly, without pitching a hissy fit. Option #1 is still getting it done, don't get me wrong. But I'm not going to feel any better, I'm *probably* going to piss off the other person in the house, if there is one, and I'm still having to take the damn trash out. If I pick this option, what am I communicating to my kid? What kind of energy am I outputting into my home? Into my relationships? Into the world? What about if I pick option #2?

Actions speak louder than words, and the tone of our actions is just as important as the final product. Yes, the trash went out, but did I teach The Kid to move through her chores quietly, efficiently, and to not rail against the things that are just a part of life, or did I teach her just what an angsty teenage I-don't-wanna-clean-my-room fit should look like?

I have moved through my life not considering things like this. I'd pitch that fit about the trash because I wanted to and because I freaking hate taking out the trash. I never cared what anyone thought. I never *had* to. But my life isn't going to be my own any more. Our lives won't be our own. There will be little eyes watching everything we do. Little ears hearing everything we say. A little person modeling herself on us. That is a huge responsibility. Now is the time to examine how we act, how we are, how we think, and start thinking about whether or not we want our kid to emulate us. How can we shift the very fabric of our thoughts before this kid arrives, so that she comes into the most loving, constructive environment possible?

I'm just throwing this out there.

Alien

So last night P was working on the guest room floors, and I was "supervising" when The Kid started doing some major acrobatics in my belly.


I looked down and saw my belly doing some major contortions. I got P's attention, and his eyes got really big. He says, "Whoa, that is so creepy!" Then he suggests that I shouldn't sit like that (pictured above, in classic "supervisor" pose) - that the baby must be mad because she doesn't have any room. (Seriously???)

After watching some more, and seeing my belly do some seriously freaky things, I looked up at him and said, "How do we know she isn't going to come out like Alien?" I mean, seriously, it felt like she was trying to shove her way out! To which he replied, "We don't." Really comforting, babe, thanks.

She eventually calmed down and P got back to work and I got back to playing with my iTouchy...er...um.... I mean, supervising, and the good news is that we're down to 1 row + 1 row with cuts + 1 closet til we're done with the guest room floors!!

Week 29

Cravings:

I think the ice cream thing may have become a habit. Going to try not having ice cream. Or something. Yesterday all I could think about was a burger and fries... but otherwise, no incredible strong cravings.

Aversions:
Nope.

Other symptoms:
Heartburn. Headache. Sciatica.

Things bugging me:
The state of the house.

Current weight: 155.6

Renovations:
Still still (omg) still haven't finished the guest room. But finally made real, visible progress. The floors are about halfway done, with (I think) the hardest part completed. I'm trying on a new work schedule this week that'll have me home a bit earlier in the afternoon, so will try to complete after work this week. That would make me veeeeery happy. Then guest and hall will need sealing (easy, one day after work process) and baseboards.

We went to BRU on Friday because I had a 20% off on rocker/gliders and ottomans. Bought one. Holy shit, that shit is expensive. And it is really stupid how they do it: they have like 50 lined up in the store for you to try out, in varying colors/woods/etc. Only that 1 color is available in less than 90 days. You can have other colors, but you have to wait 90 days. 90-freaking-days!!! I don't have 90 days until this pops out. I have fewer than 75. UGH!! Are most women ready to settle on a rocker when they are more than 90 days out??? It just seems like probably not. And therefore stupid for the baby store to expect. But whatever. I settled for my 2nd favorite and the more expensive option because it was tan(ish) and the one I really wanted was chocolate brown. Which wouldn't even remotely look right in my nursery. Damnit.

As you could see from the pictures I posted the other day, on Friday after I got off work, I started putting together the chest. I had the whole body up and was starting on the drawers when P came home. I was pretty pleased with myself. But I was glad he came when he did - the drawers would have been difficult with only one of us!

Also got some little things done: got the valance and sheet curtains up over the window (finally). Still need to pick out some blackout curtains for behind the sheers... Also got the two little indirect lights put up. Think I need to find some little goobers to attach the cords to the wall...

Other stuff:

Still doing C25K Week 2. Starting to get excited again about post-preggo exercise. I'm tired of feeling like a blob, and can't wait til I can truly push myself again!

Last week at work went pretty well with the coming-in-half-day-Friday experiment. Going to try that again this week: working 9 hour days M-Th, then coming in 4 hours on Friday. Somehow I think that last hour free will be really nice, and at least last Friday was really quiet and I got quiet a bit done, stress-free. We'll see if that can keep up enough for me to want to keep doing it! I also really like the idea of getting home a little earlier: a little time to work upstairs every day could go a long way. I think we lose a lot of time on the weekends to taking breaks, etc. Not that I don't want to do that, but I think working in short little stints every day could be a really productive option for us. We'll see... I did tell P that it is important that we start working immediately before I hit the couch, otherwise, no worky for me...

Uh oh....

So yesterday P and I were driving in the car and I was talking about getting in my workouts around baby. I said something like this: "Even when I'm on maternity leave, if I want to go out of the house to workout, I'll have to leave The Kid with you. So probably the best thing will be to stick with the current idea of me getting up at 4 and running and showering before you leave a few days a week."

P: "But I'll have to get ready for work. How will I get ready for work with the baby?"













*crickets*













Me: "Ummm... just keep her alive? And how did you expect to make it though the next 18 years??"

Houston, I think we may have a problem!

Another Weekend Picture Post!!

Blogger was acting snarky and wouldn't let me add any more photos to the last post, so here are a few more:

Sealing the nursery floors (waaaaay back when!)
The hole for the guest fan that made me insane. (Look at the pride.)
Cutting the boards in a very safe way. Super safe.
Laying a little piece in the hallway.
And a bigger piece. That's the guest room behind P that we're working towards.
Building the bookcase.

Weekend Picture Post!!

The *absolute insanity* that is Babies R Us.
Starting to construct the drawers for the chest. Notice a bit of the new bookcase in the upper right corner.
This is how far I got on the chest before P came home. Yay, me!
Finished chest!! (I want cooler drawer pulls, though.)
Hanging the valance.
Adjusting the valance.